Container washing machine



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CONTAINER vWASHING MACHINE Filed July 25, 1940 v 13 Sheets-Sheet 9 July 13, 1948. w. F. FISCHER 2,444,925

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CONTAINER WASHING' MACHINE I Filed July 25, 1940 I 13 Sheets-Sheet l2 July 13, 1948. w. F. FlsHER 2,444,925

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l Il 1Q! i y 2c ,1* f I i I J i 87 l I I 'I l' |767 Il 7.9 5 l l l lI 37 A I f L 76 Wa Zwischen Patented .uy 13, 1948 CONTAINER WASHING MACHINE Waldo F. Fischer, Chattanooga,l Tenn., assigner to Charles E. Kimball, Chattanooga, Tenn.

Application July 25, 1940, Serial 347,528

v 24 Claims.

1 'I'he present invention is related to machines for sterilizing and Washingcontainers such as empty milk, bottles, soft drink bottles, cheese containers,

and the like, to make certain of their being put in a completely sanitary condition and available then for carrying materials for human consumption' Y It is an objectof thisvinvention'to provide a novel container spraying device having means automatically operable in timed relation to control fiuid ow through a spraying nozzle and tok eiiect movement of a rod through the nozzle to remove foreign matter.l

It is an object of this invention to provide a container washingmachine having novel means to subject containers to-a revolving spiral of caustic Within the container and while the container-is in upright position.v

It is an object of this Vinvention to providev novel means for washing containers while they are, in upright position Vby whirling spirals ofy liquid disposed in the container.

It isv an object of lthis invention to provide a novel basket f-orcarrying-'containers in a container Washing machine.Y Y

It is an object of this invention to provideinaY container Washing machine novel means to subject the exterior of acontainer to a stream -of= caustic and While' the position. f It is an object of container is in upright this invention in a container washing machine to provide means to wash theinterior and the exterior of a container with liquid containing soap in solution and to use the liquid as--a caustic vapor trap and as a container heating medium as-'it passes on its way to a dis-` charge outlet to a sewer.

It is an object of thisk invention to provide a container washing machine having novel means to eject a container* from its basket in the ma.-V

chine.

YIt is an object of this 'invention' to provide a container washing inachinehaving instrumentalities moving in timed' relation to subject av container to the following -steps inftimed sequence: Q a' a "1. A soaking ,step in which the container is slowly moved immersed in a tank of hot caustic which extends for the .greater party ofthe length,

of themachine; f Y Y f 2. The step of washing Ythe container Ywhile in itsupright Vposition by a Y revolving and spiral stream of hot caustic revolving in `one direction and 'withintheo container, `and the washing ofthe exterior ofthe container by liquid ejected from the container; v

3. The step of Washing the container, as above, y

but with the stream revolving within the container invan opposite direction;

4. The step of Washing the exterior ofthe containerby a stream of hot caustic directed downwardly from aboveA the container to remove labels. Other and further objects and features of this invention will more fully appear'fromthe following description, taken in Aconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In thedrawings: I. Figures 1, 1a, 1b, and 1c, taken together, present a side elevation View ofthe container washing machine with parts cut away to expose` other parts. e

Figure 2 is afragmentary illustration of a tripping mechanism with parts broken, parts in plan, and parts in section. v

Figure 3 is a side elevation view of a container basket assembly, with parts broken and parts in section.

Figure 4 is a top Figure 3.

Figure 5Y is an enlarged side view in elevation of a container transfer mechanismfshownin Figure 1; and I Figure 6 broken.

Figure 7 is an enlarged side elevation View of the Spiralatordevice of Figure 1c, with parts broken and parts in section.A

, Figurev 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a tube detail of. Figure 7.

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary -view of a tube detail at right angles to the View in, Figure 8.

Figure 101s' a bottomvplan view of the tube of Figure; and a Y n Figure 11` is an venlarged transversev section view ofthe Spiralator of Figure 7, with parts in elevation, and parts broken. -f

Figure 12 `is awpartial plan View of the front end of the machine of Figures 1 and 1a.

Figures 13 -and 13a together show the machine of Figures 1, la, 1b, and 1c in side elevation, with partsr broken away, and showing a modified arrangement of some ofthe parts. Y l

Figure'14 is a diagrammatic showing of parts of the. machine and associated electric circuits.

AFigure 15 Ais a transverse-view of-a modified form ofthe device shown vin Figure 11, with parts inelevation, parts broken, and vparts in section. Infthe machine described hereinafter, the milk plan View of the assembly of i is a front View of the same with parts.

or beverage bottle to be cleaned is pushed along a table to enter, neck iirst, a bottle holder or basket on a movable conveyor. Immediately after it is entered in the basket, the bottle is intermittently moved through a heated vapor zone to gradually raise its temperature and so temper or condition it in preparation for movement past jets of hot water to pre-rinse the interior of the bottle. After being pre-rinsed by hot water, the bottle is immediately moved into a tank of hot caustic, and is moved slowly through this tank for a relatively long soaking period. At the end of the soaking period the bottle is4 raised out 'of the tank, and, while sitting upright, it is washed internally by a revolving jet of hot causticpand then subjected to streams of hot caustic directed over its exterior. caustic the bottle is inverted and allowed to drip. Then it is washed internally and externally by jets of hot water, and after this washing by hot water it is next Washed by colder water,and'tlr1enV allowed to drip for a relatively long period. Finally,it is pushed from its-'basket on to a-table, then turned to uprightfposition, and then pushed on to a conveyor to be carried toa-storage' point for clean bottles.

yThe stepsin the treatment of thecontainer while it is inthe machine may be divided up into 1. Tempering step,

2. The initial Washing step in whicha hot soap solution is used,

3. Soaking for a relatively longperiod in a hot caustic bath,

4. Thestep-in which the bottle is washed by hot caustic issued in a spiral and revolving column in the bottle to compel the liquid in the bottle to be pumped out through-the upstanding neck of the bottle and carry oilsolid matter,

5. The step of Washing olf labels on the bottle while the bottle is upright,

6. The steps of rinsing` the bottleby hot water containing a sterilizing agent applied externally of and'internally to the bottle 'while it-is inverted,

7. The'step of rinsing the bottle, the inalfrinse, by clearwater, and

8. Movement of the bottle for a relativelyy long period to allowit to dry while in inverted position.

The temperatures `of the treating mediums from the temperingstep to triennal-'rinse are adjusted to avoid breakage, `and the tempering stepis particularly advantageous in cold-weather, when cold bottles are fed to thefmachine,and avoids breakage due to sudden changes in temperature.

While it is necessary for simplicity in illustrating and in describing the machineto deal with it, for the most part, as though it were handling a single row of bottles, it will be understood that the machine actually handles sixor more parallel rows of bottles at the same time.

The bottles are entered in the machine at the left end, the frontend, and are also ejected from the machine at that end.

Figures 1, la, 1b, and 1c, taken together, show the whole machine in side elevation, with'part of the side plates of themachine nearest the observer removed to expose the conveyor inthe tank.

Most of the driving mechanism isoutside ofthe plates forming the sides of the machine and the cover of the tank, and some of the 'operating mechanism is in bays attached to the-side ofthe machine.

After the treatment ywith-hot.

In Figure 1, the numeral Il) indicates a con| tainer which initially appears at the left end of the container washing machine indicated generally by the numeral II. The container is then resting on a slotted guideway I2 and with its bottom against an abutment I3. The container may be a milk bottle or a beverage bottle, or the like.

The guideway l2 is slotted `so that anger or' dog la, pivoted on the upper' end of a lever I5, may get behind the bottle I0 and push it to the right into a guideway or chute I6 near the receiving end of the machine.

The lever I5 is shown in its final position, after 0having vmovedthe bottle from left to right. The 'lever l5 is pivoted at its lower end in a bearing 21 mounted on the frame of the machine, and it is placed outside of the tank on the base of the machine. A similar lever is positioned on the opposite side of the tank, and a shaft extends between themVj to carry as many ngers I'lliasl there arerows of bottles -to 'befed'to the machine. However', to simplify the descriptionv of l'the-2machine, it will be assumed that the machine lis handling a single row-of bottles, and it will be obvious that more than one row of bottlesinay be handled at the same time by simple duplication of partsfof the bottle-moving elements.

The frame of the machine is made up of'structural steel columns and bars, and 'of side Aand bottom platessdening the tank "forhot-caustic liquid. The-tank extends along the length of the machine, and is thought of as'beingdividedinto a rst, long tank through whichthefcontainers are moved while immersed inthecausticfanda second, short tank over whichthecontainers pass and which receives caustic sprayed, over-the containers. The two tanks are in fluid communication with each other.

The finger I4 is carried-on a lfork ISafat the upper end of the lever I5 `and'on a shaft I'I revolvable in the fork and extending across 'the machine to'a bearing in asimilar lever I5.` 'The shaft Il carries a dog Vhavingarms I9 and 2U, alternately engageable with afstop pin 2| on'the lever I5.

A'Y dog I8 on the shaftA ITfhas a finger 22` which is adapted t0 strike a striker 23 on theframe of the machine when the lever I5 has been moved to the left behind the container I0 to throw the linger I 4 into the position lshown in F'Figure 1,v and with the arm 2l] engaging thepinZ I dAs'tl'ieleve'r I5 is leaving rthe position -rshown in lFigure '1, another dog 24 on the shaft I1 vhas, finger 2'5 moved into engagement with'anothr striker-'2B to throw thenger I4 to thee-horizontal position, and with the arm i9 nowengagin'gfthestop Apin 2 I Thus, the finger-I4 is-horizo'n-tal-asfthe lever I5 moves to the left', andi'sv vertical fas the flever moves to the right to pushithe 'containerl to'the right. Suitable friction means are providedto encourage the iinger i4 vto'stay inthe-position to which it has been thrown by the striker-"as the lever movesto the'left. f

.The lever I5 is pivotedv-.on the A-frame-.of Ithe machine at 21, and is pushed and pulledby sa reciprocable drivingbar 28 pivotallyconnected atiits left end to the lever, andpivotally connected at its right end at 2'9, Figure4 1a,.tov an uplstanding extension 30 on the left endl offanother reciprocable bar 3l which is reciprocat'ed "b'y mechanism described hereinafter.

YAs the vbar 28 moves to 'the left,` the"uprght extension or bar 3B Aofthe bar 3l also movesto the left toengage behinda bo-ttle already on the slide I6 and' then when moved .to the right push that bottle into a basket: 32'carriedby. a, conveyor 33 rolling along a runway34, whle the linger. |4 brings'up the next bottleto the gudeway I6.

The extension bar 30 is provided .with a dog 35 the chute |6 in inclined relationthereto,-and the pin 38 on the member 39 engages the dog 35 and elevates it. At the endv ofthe forward stroke of the bar 36, the' member 39 drops over'. the end of4 the chute |'6 and-the dog 35 drops behind the rear of the bottle. On the return stroke of bar :39, the dog 35 rides through a slot in therchute I6, while the member 39y trails freely over lthe chute.

The bar 3| extending along Vthe outside of the machine is guidedly supported at its left end between a pair of rollers 42 and 43 mounted on a bearing block secured toa column 44 of the machine frame. also guidedly supported between a pairv of rollers 45 (Figure 1b) mounted on an upright 46 of the machine. provided with a toothed rack 4'| (Figure 1a) which meshes with'the teeth 48 of a gear wheel 49 vmounted on a shaft 50 in bearings carried by a vertical column of the machine frame. A

The shaft 50 also carriesa smaller gear` Wheel 52 which has teeth 53 meshing with the teeth 54 of a sector 55 Which-is mounted on a shaft 56 carried in bearings 51 on thecolumn 5|.

The sector 55 isconnected to a crank-arm 58 by a link 59 which is pivotally connected at its ends to the arm 58 and the sector 55. The arm 58 is connected to ashaft 69 (Figure lb) carried in bearings on a sho-rt column 6| ofl thev frame of the machine, and is driven by a pulley 62 on the shaft 69 and suitably connected by a belt 63, and a belt-gear system, indicated generally at 64, to the shaft 65 of a motor 66. f y

As -is indicated in Figure 13a, the belt gearing may be replaced by reducing gears 64 in a suitable gear boX. I f

The gear Wheel 49 carries a roller 61 thereon, and as' the wheel 49 rotates in a clockwise direction, this roller advances towards the left face of the lower end of a bent lever 68 which is pivoted at v69 on thecolumn 5|. A lever 1li-is `pivoted at 1| on the upper end of the'lever 68, and it is provided at its rightend with a hook `12 which is adapted to 'engage therollers 13 of the conveyor 33;-

The roller 61 on the wheel 49 obviously moves vin a substantially vertical direction as it moves Interinediate its' ends, the bar 3| isV Ther-right end ofthe bar 3| is ponent of the movement of the roller 61 appears,

and the lever 68 is pushed to the right With av frce'that has an ever-increasing and sinusoidal horizontal component, iso -that the rollers13 of the conveyor 33 are graduallyv accelerated. Thus, the slack is rsttakenup'gently, and then the conveyor is accelerated without'jerkiness. During this movement 'the'pivot connection 1| ride to the opposite end of a limiting slot 1| a.

When the conveyor 33has-advanced azdesired distance, the sector 55'has reachedthe end of its stroke, andthe roller 61 now retreats as'the sec- :tor makes'its return stroke; z Later; another roller 1'5 on the wheel49 Vmoves in a counter--clockwise directionto engage the lower end of thelever 68 to move it to the left and cause the hook 12 to move idlyjto the right and to slide freely over the rollers .13, g v

, In Figures 13 and 13a an alternative arrangementof the lever 68 and a lever 19 is shown, to push' the conveyor rather4 than .to pull it. In the alternative'arrangement, as the disk 49 revolves counter-clockwise .the roller 61 will engage the lower end of the'lever 68 to push the member 10' to the left and so .push the conveyor. Laster, the roller 15 will engage the lever 68 to move the driving member 19' to the right and cause vits hooked end to idle over the roller. Suitable means, not described, are provided to litt the member `1li' yin its trailing movement and drop it behind a trailing roller without noise.

lEnough of the machine has been described lto make it clear that as the motor 66 revolves continuously, the sector 55wi1l oscillate to cause. reciprocation of the push bars28 and 3|, and the connected lever I5 and bar 30, and that the con-r veyor 33 is at rest while the bottle |0 is being pushed into the basket. It will also be clear that the conveyor is moving while the members I5 and 30 are on their way vto engagea bottle, and that itl moves just enough to bring a basket into position -to receive a bottle.

-The basket 32 is best shown in Figures 3 and 4., Each basket is formed of two similar curved parts 16 and 11, and each of these parts is provided with side wings 18. A carriage for the basket is formed of a pair of spaced opposed and transversely extending bars 19 which are connected at their ends by en'd yokes 80. The carriage is borne by rollers 13 whichride on a guideway indicated generally at 8|. At each end of the carriage, longitudinally extending link-bars 82 are secured to the yokes 80, and are apertured at one en-d 84 to receive the bushing 83 of a roller 13, and at the other end 85 to receive a pin 86 which passes through the bushing of a roller and through the ends of adjacent connecting links of adjacent carriages. Disposed opposite the link-bars 82 vare other link-bars 81 which are similar to the bars `82, s0 that. the car-f riages are connected to each other by pairs of links at each end.

Pins 88y extend between and are secured to the pairs of bars 19 and pass through the overlapping side wings 18 of adjacent baskets, as shown in Figure 3, to carry the baskets. Spacers 89 on the pins 98 maintain the baskets in spaced relation tothe bars 19.

As shown best in Figure 4, the assembled parts 16 and 11 of the basket dene a tubular container adapted to receive a bottle having a narrow neck. Each of the parts 16 and 11 is provided with internal guiding -rlbs 99 formed by depressing the metal of the part, and each part is provided atits upper end with curved stop or bottle stopping members or bosses 9|. The parts are also shaped to define four uppery slots 92, so that a nat bar may be entered in the basket through the upper end thereof and through opposed slots to expel the bottle. A cruciform bar may also be used. for the same purpose. The parts are also shaped to define a pair of opposed bottom slots 93 into which a blade may be entered to lift the bottle in the basketfor a purpose to be described hereinafter. Because of the presence of the internal ribs and of the mouth stop member 9|, the basket `accommodates itself to a wide range of bottle shapes; The internal ribs 90 hold the'container in spaced relation to the internal face ofthebasketso that,

7. ineffect', .ducts are formedl between the container andthe basket@ face throughwhich fluid may flow tofscour the outside' of the container. The. basket may be formed of resilient metal. so that the neck of the basket immediately below the stops 9 may lWhile the conveyor 33 is at rest to permit abottle to be pushed-into a basket by the dogx35, means are provided to then expel from a basket a bottle that has reached the delivery pointy immediately above the receiving point. The expelling meansrinclude a reciprocable bar 94,(Figure 1a) which has a toothed rack gengaging the teeth 48 ofthe gear Wheel 40. The Vbar 94 is guided at its right end by a guiding roller Brnounted on the column 5|, and at its left end by a carriage 01 having rollers 98 cooperating with opposed runway members S9. The b-ar 'B4 is piv-otally conm nected to the carriage 91 at |00.` A blade |0| is adjustably connected to the carriage -S'l by adjusting means indicated generally at |02, and this blade enters the slots 92 of the basket to eject the bottle therein on to a table |03. As the blade |I moves to theright on its return stroke, and after having ejected the bottle, the member 30 now moves to the left topush the bottle on .to a movable table or lift |04, which will be described more fully hereinafter. A dog on a shaft |05 pivoted on the upper end ofthe member'S has an arm |06 adapted to engage a stop pin |01 on the member 30, so that as the member 30 .moves to the lef'tthe nger v|05 willengage a-bottle on the platform |03 and push it over the end of the platformen to the table |04, which is then lying in alignment with the platform, and is freely movable to trail over another bottle on the platform as the member 30 returns to the position shown in Figure 1. l

A reciprocable bar |08 is pivoted at its right end to the carriage 0`| at |019, to oscillate with the bar `94, and is guidedly supported intermediatek its ends by rollers H0 mounted on a strapllll depending from the frame of the machine.

The bar |08 carries a roller ||2 `at its left end which is slidable in a slotted star-shaped lever ||3.u As the bar |08 moves to the left, it Atilts the table |041from a` horizontal position to Vthe Vertical position, and a pusher element i4 pivoted onr the table pushes the bottle on to a conveyor H5, lwhichscarries the clean bottlesaway from: the machine. 1 As the bar |08 moves to the right,v the roller ||2 moves along the. slotted arm ||6 ofthe star-shaped lever to the center ofthe starand then moves alongA the slotted-arm which has 4been ktilted to the horizontallposition bythe advancing roller. The star lever ||3.is secured toa `shaft IEB carried by a bearingl l0 suitably mounted on the machine, and `the table |04 is secured to the same-shaft, so thatvvhen the arm is tiltedto the horizontalposition, thetable |04 isa-lso tilted to the horizontal position to forman extension of the table |03.

After thefdirty bottle has beenplaced in the basket; it is moved downwardly bythe conveyor and graduallyinverted asi the conveyor-` travels over a curved guidewaylz, and assumes a comp'letelyr inverted :position asc-the ,Conveyor traveis alongi. a horizontal; Vguideway f |2 The`A dirty bottle. presently;.cornes teu-the prerinsing-station and over arinsingapparatuslindicated generally bythe numeral-:.|;22. where v: itis :washed byh ot water carryingasoap. in, solution. In its passage from thereceivingmoint to the pre-rinsing point, it has l beenA subjected .tog warmzvapor yfrom ithe pre-rinsing apparatuspand has `been tempered, so that it. will; noty crack lwhen ,exposed to. the, hot water. 1 The.f oreign -matter,on thebottle has also been'exposed. tofthefwarmvaporgto Aencor-nage its becoming somewhat loosened.

The-,pre-'rinsing.device |22 extends 'transversely of'y themachineand into Vvbays |23 ongthe sides fofthe-A -machinelso that the mechanism for reciprocatingthe..,device may be vconveniently '1ocated inthe :bays for. o ilingl andl inspection.u It is disposed-abovel a-`=cover|24g of` the `tank containingr-the `hot ,caustic solution. i device |22 includes a casing qcontaining.-rinsing nozzles. Meansare provided for pulling Vthe casing :|25 downward atA `gzleiinite times in vrelation to movement cf :theA conveyor.; .and Such means I; include a ,bellcrank :|40 whichds pivoted-atldl on the column 44 i on the `outside of the-machine. lThe upper arm vf|||2 .of vthe bellcrank,` carries a roller |43A which ,is adapted togbe-engaged--by a depressingbar- |44 Figure ,lalon-thebar I3|* to lowerjthe; lowerqargnrl oie-the bellycrank for the automaticV lowering-oh the `'casing |25 to permit;` bottles `13d-pass V the' nozzlesgas the conveyor advances.` the bottles@,ne step ahead.

The lower ,arm-|45. is povotally 4connected at its free end to a -link;1,|A6.whiclj1 is pivotally. connected at |41 -to a--groundf drawbarcfl connected .with the casing |25.`

, ,In Figure 13; aisomegwhat-simpliedhoperating means for. the'fdeviceql22- is shown. All cam 28'! is; pivotally ;connected;.to the; ylever 45t-and' is guided on -gits upper edge gby rollers 2B8fton the frame r of'` the machine. The lower edge ofthe earn-1201- rides ona roller \f289.- attached to the reciprocable bar |40 to pull ity downward against the spring S|54 as the 1lever el 5.'.moves tofthe left, and Vthe drawbar- :l-ltobviou-slyrises as the `lever I5 is moved to the right.

They-containers are rinsed three. timeson their waypastf the spraying.devicex|22,fand it is found in practice that, pre-rinsingvbottles with the hot soapy; solution,resultsI.in-bottleswith a clean, sparklingappearance as they leavetheimachine.

The; dirty.;v watergthatjalls 'froml the bottles d-ropsgontoythe tankrcover |24. -rand along;v a slantedportion of the;cover into acatch basin |59 in a bay on the side of the machine, and out throughapiped B0to `the sewer.

The cover |24 vextends along f the` machine to keep -the vapor of thehotc austicin-thetank from risingfthrough the mechanism above the caustic.

The lhotca-ustic isizcarrled in atank, yindicated generallyzatf IGI.` and#` Whiehis` formed `by' y:the

. bottomvsplates fandnsideandend; plates 4ofthe machine.

,'.Itvis importanttonote that the cover |524 terminates1atv its leftend inan 4upstanding and inclined VVbattle; |62. which deflects vapor from the hot causticztocause it tobetrapp'ed-by the hot water spray fromathe nozzles; |21 andsentftogthe sewer. f Adjacenttnthefbafile '|62 a, pipe |03; discharges .waterfromanother rinsing position, and this waterwillf also :pick: upzsomerofzthe caustic vaponas. it discharges on tto kthe covers |24.

z At the; rightfendi of the .tank the.. coverA 2 4\ eX- tends 1rup-v the letta-face. fof a. column |85. :and 'an opening isfprovidednear the upper fend of the column for the containers to pass'through.

vAs the bottles leave the pre-rinsing position, the conveyor passes `along a curved guideway |64 and the bottles gradually assume an upright3 position, with their bottoms Abeing ysupported by transversely spaced guide rails |65 which are curved at the left end of the machine, and which extend along the bottom of the machine. While y the bottles are upright the conveyor travels on a guideway |66 spaced above the guides` |65. yThe bottles enter the hot caustic as they reach the upright position, and they are within the caustic for a relatively longtime, to soak off the foreign matter. 1 Y

As shown in Figures 1b and lc, as the bottles near the right end of the machine, the conveyor guideway |66 and the bottle guides |65 curve upwardly to rise to another position at which the bottles are again sprayed, but in this spraying it is hot 'caustic that is the cleansing medium.

In Figure 1c the'guides` |65 and |66 are horizontal, and the bottleis'shown temporarily at rest and lifted above the guide rails |65 by a cam plate |61,v which'entersithe lower slot 93 of the ,25 basket 32 as the basket is advanced towards it. They are also-over a second tank |66 separated from the main tank |6|1by a partition |61 having a portion suitably perforated to provide a screened overflow connection with the main tank. 30 There are no moving mechanisms in thesecond tank, and the liquid is relatively quiet to encourage the settling offforeign matter dropping into'it.

The plate |61 is'pivoted on one end of a lever |68 which is pivoted at |69 on a suitable support on the frame of the machine, and the other end of the lever is counterweighted byya counterweight |19. The plate |61 is yieldingly restrained 'in its pivotal movement by a coiled -40 spring |1| connected to the right'end of the plate and to the lever |68.

In its elevated and upright position in Figure 1c, the bottle is now below what isgenerically 45 termed-a Spiralator, and the device is indicated?p generally by the numeral |12. While at the Spiralator position the bottle is first washed by an internal whirling and spiral jet revolving in one direction, next washed by asimilar jet reo volving in an opposite direction, and then has* its outer vertical surface washed by a stream to remove labels and other foreign matter. The internal jet is designed to scou'rthe inner surface of the bottle and to expel the foreign matter 5 in the bottles, which often includes paper caps," pieces of drinking straws, and pieces of paper.

The Spiralator assembly |12 comprises a tank |13 into which hot `caustic drops from a pipe |14. Overflow pipes |15 extend from apertures 0 in the side wall of the tank and extend downff wardly to a point adjacent bottles'standing upright in baskets positioned below the lower end of the tubes to wash olf labels and other foreign matter adhering to the outer surface of the` bottles` The pipes have a bore of about three- 'l quarters of an inch, and the stream of hot caustic hits the mouth of the already full bottle and passes down thechannel defined between the side of the bottle and the inner face of the bas ket to form turbulent sheets of caustic. As willI appear later, the caustic from the pipe |14 runs out through the bottom of the tank through revolving tubes, and means are provided to lift the upper ends of the revolving tubes above `the on a vertical column |85 of the machine.

overflow outlets, so that the caustic isk then automatically diverted to the overow pipes |15.

The bottom of the tank is provided with apertures in which ball bearing housings |16 are placed with a press fit, and carried by a collar |11 riding on the bearings is an outer or rst tube |18 which extends downwardly through the bearings. On the lower end of the tube I 18 is a collar |19 secured thereto, and this collar rides on ballbearings |80 pressed intoapertures in a spacer bar |8|. A plurality of tubes |'|8is provided, and each tube is provided with a grooved pulley |82'secured thereon and connected by an endlessbelt |83 to the main driving pulley |84 which is mountedon a shaft carried in bearings The shaft also carries a pulley connected by belting driven by a pulley suitably connected with the pulley of a motor 66. A somewhat simpler driving arrangement is shown in Figure 13a, in which a. belt |83' is driven by a pulley |90 on the end of the motor shaft and guided over, a sheave |9I. The belts |83 and |83' `are disposed about the pulleys on the tubes so that certain tubes rotate iny one direction and certain others rof tate in an opposite direction. i

A second tube |92 is placed to reciprocate within the first tube and to rotate therewith. v.The first tube |18 is provided with an elongated slot, and shouldered pins |93 extend through theslot from a collar |94, slidable on the rst tube, to enter side apertures in the second tube |92, so that the second tube is driven with the :firstY tube. The collar |94 is connected with a ball bearing assembly |96 which carries the collar in guided relation to the outer surface of the first tube |18. The lower end of the inner tube isslotted at |91, and a bar |98 having a slot |99 atits upper end is entered in the lower end of the tube and is secured thereto. The bar |98 is givenr a halfturn twist along its length, as indicated at 200, to define a vane 20|, and the lower end of the bar is cut to dene edge surfaces at an angle of forty-five degrees to the transverseaxis of the bar.` The lower end of the bar is ground smooth. A bar |88 extends across the top of the tank and carries needles 292 which extend downwardly within the inner tube |92, and they are adapted to extend into the fork |99 of the bar |98 to expel foreign matter when the tube is raised out of thebottle. The vane bar |98 may be of such a length that it rests on the bottom of the bottle when the inner tube is lowered, and if the bottles are of different lengths, the collars |94 will appear at different heights along the outer tube. In Figure 11 the'vanes are shown in bottles of different lengths, to show that the arrangement automatically accommodates itself to the washing of bottles of different lengths.

When the vane is in the bottle, it tends to stir up and tear up caps of milks bottles, straws, and paper which are often found in empty bottles.

The outer tubes |18 pass through apertures in a lifting bar 293 of a lifting frame, and this bar elevated by links ,204 `which are pivotally .con-

linner tubes are in their elevated position, their 2|0 securedat theirlower ends to a centering' .Jframemade up of a4 plurality of connected bars 21|. ".lThe' bars2|| carryapertured bosses 2|2. .The bosses engage the flared mouth of the basket-and are guidedby the'lngers of the basket, so

that all .of 'the apertures are in linev withV theI mouths 'of the bottles to'guide the'inner tubes f 92'passing through theaperturesinto the bottles. The bosses may be shaped as at 2|2a (Figure 11) to, provide means ,to` deect caustic issuing -from the mouthoi 'thebottle down over the outside of,A

"the`;bottle,' if uid pressure conditions are such as...to `cause ,the iuid. to issue" as ay jetf from 'the mouth of thebottle.

, Itl will now. be` evident that when the bar 203 is in its elevated position, it has lifted the bar 2.09v and the centeringpbar; 2li clear of the tops oithebaskets, `andthat as theliftingbar 203 is. being lowered the centering bar rst engages lthe basketsand then the Vanes |98 subsequently ,enter .the bottles. Vl its descent, it ,will become disengaged from the rollenbearings |96 connected with thefinner .tubesl 1592,. when the vanes have to descend but a 'short't distance to rest on the bottom of a short container. 'As' the innerA tubes descend, their ...upper .ends .fall below the level of the caustic in .the.tank, and 'caustic now ows through them.

The Ltank '|13 carries wings 2|3'which are ad- .iustably..mo.unted on bracketsA 2|4' fastened to aa-co1umn1|85 and to4 asupport 2|5 respectively ..softhattheSpiralatorniay` be removed as a unit lgthrough the side of themachine for repairs or ior adjusting.

"-The hot .caustic solution is pumpedfrom the main .tank JLB |'thr011gh a suitable screen 233', and along..apipe 23B by a` low pressure pump 231, .andis raised through a pipe 238 to fall into the tank. Thexcaustic `falling from the Spiralator .'.stationcnters the second tank |86, and paper ...and otherforeign matter washed from the bottles V,dropsrtmthe bottom of this tank, andgrelatively ,clear liquidows over a Weir |81 into the vmain ta'nk IBI. The liquid in the .main tank is kept hot bysteam coils.

VwWhen the bottles reach the Spiralator posi I tion, they are already iilled with hot caustic. '.Atitherpiralator station they are subjected to a revolving andfspiral jet of hot caustic` issuing from the lower, end 'of the inner tube |92 and flowing Aalongthe vane |98 to scour the inside ofthe bottle and to put solid matter into suspensionr forv iiowing outpthrough the mouth of -the bottle. `Since itiispossible thatA tiny akes Hadhering to the side of the bottle maybe bent or deilected in one 'direction and not torn from the' vside ci. the bottle, thebottle is next subjected to a.revol ving jetrevolving in an oppositedirec- .ftion totear the flakes away from the side of the fbottle, or ,in ,othery words, the `side of the bottle Ais swept in twodirections just as one oftennds ..it,.,necessary to sweep a oor in morethan one ,ljdirection to remove lint.

,Thebent. lever 205 is connected intermediate .its endsto.. alshaft .216. mounted in bearings on the frame of the machine, and a lever 2|1 also Asthe bar 203 continues iinconnected tol `the shaftI carries a counterwei'ght 2|8. `The left endioffthe lever 205 is .connected by alink 213 to a slotted-cam"220.-Which is pivoted at 22|y on a shaft on a; short column 222 of the frame of -the machine. 'eThe drawbart3| carries a yroller 223 Which slides in the slots.224 and 225, respectively, of the camV 220,- and causes the cam to tilt-as it .reciprocates lAfter the'v bottles `have'been washed by vthe spiral jets and-bythe st'rearnufrom the overiiow pipe |15, the conveyorleaves the horizontal portion |66 of the conveyor guide, and then travels along anl upper and curved'guideway'22 as the bottles ascend to the top of the machine. At ythe end of the vertical travel of the bottleslthe` conveyor now rideson upper horizontal. guideway 221', and-the bottles arev now: inverted.

I-Means arefprovided at the right end'oifzthe machine Vto -takeup slacky in 'the conveyor, and. comprise a curvedguidewaysection `228 which is hinged at itsllower end at '229 to the section` 225, yand which is adjustably held `at itsupper end by a tensioningbolt 230passed through an upright 23| ofthe frame ofthe machine. l'The adjustable section-228 carries a threaded bolt '232 .which rides in a curveclslot 233 of a plate `2'34,.secured to .the

frame offthemachine, softhatnuts on'the end of the bolt may be tightened-against the plate to hold the section locked in its adjusted position.

As the bottles-move tothe left on theupper portion ofthe machine and passover and beyond the'Spiralator; they pass through an :opening-'239 in the upwardly extended portion :240 of the tank cover |24 to a point at which they are sprayed, inside. andout, iwithhot.` water which may carry a suitable sterilizing compound in solution.

' 'Causticvapors arising from the Spiralator .fstation" and passing throughv the'opening2'39 are trapped'ffbyV the spray --at the spraying-point. iOvfvWater from the'city supply system.- is carried by a pipe 24| to discharge through-:outlets 242- and 243, placed above andbelow thecontainers, .re- Vvspectivdy;l gto: 1 give -them a, ina1-frinse, and this f; weterrdrops intof4 aytank 2144; as make-up water. (51 The-:overiioW-ffrom this ftanlg-isl-,carried by the pipe 1.33; ,'which'; discharges-adj acent; the; baffle |62,v at

.lfreatsfthef waterin @the l tank.

Afmotor-j driven pump 246v draWsWater-vfrom --tl1e:'bottoma ofthe tank through a pipe 241 and pumps-itfinto a header 248. The'pipe-Ill, already rmentione d, is connected to :this header, andhot wateren its-way to the pre-rinsing` devicepasses through a:-soap.container 249 to-insure a supply 55 -oiisoapf in solution.

Another pipe =250 is connected lto the header 3248,@andgthrough a flexible hose v255 to a spraying device-25| similar tothat of the-pre-rinse device :425; already v described. The hot water in the pipe 250. passes through a container 290 containl ing` axsuitable sterilizing; chemical. A pipe 252 connected to a low pressure pump,y not shown, de-

. livershot vwater through an outlet 2.53 vand atray ,254 ,of wire, screento `drop on the .bottles from 65..above.

The.Splayingdevice25| is mounted on a sup- ,portingvframe' 256 seated on the Vbottom of the Atanlryandit is provided with adrawbar 251 connected,. by alink 258 to a lever 2,59. The lever 259is pivot'ed at 2,60 onv a shaft which also carriesthe belt and pulley gears indicated at 6G,

andthe shaft is carried byv a short column 25| disposed between the-tank-244 anda base frame |24 forming apart of the-coyerforthe tank 5|.

vThe left lend of` thelever2-59 'rides-on a crank -bottle'fis opposite the ejecting blade 262 carried by the pulley 62, and as the pulley revolves the lever 259 is oscillated by the crank to reciprocate the drawbar and the spraying head 263 connected thereto. y

It is important to note that the several `means "for rinsing the bottles with clear water after their trip through the caustic are placed relatively near` the right end of the machine. It will be evident that in the relatively long trip from the final rinsing position to the point at which the I|, the bottles are given ample time in which to drip. A drip tray 264 catches the drips from the bottles and returns the water thus gathered to the vtank 244.

, ||2 thereon rides in theslots ||6 and H1 of the star lever ||3 to tilt the lever and turn the shaft v| I8 to bring the table |04 to a horizontal position and resting on an abutment 265 at the end of the` platform |03. The table |04 carries a plurality of outstanding side members 266 den ing trays for the bottles, and it is into these trays that the bottles are pushed by the dog |05. When the table |04 is lying horizontally and in alignment with the platform |03, a bottle ejecting or pushing frame 261 having end arms 268 pivoted at one end at 269 on the table |04 is lying with its cross-barl 210, which connects the other ends of the arms 268, disposed behind bottles lyingV in the tray. The pivot point 269 of the frame 261 is disposed so that the crossbar lies behind the bottles as the table |04 is assuming the vertical position, and until the frame 261 is swung by means to be described presently.

When Vthe bar |08 again moves to the left,` its roller ||2 riding in the slots of the star lever ||3 causes the star lever to tilt, thus turning the shaft H8, and turning the table |04 to the vertical position. As the table |04 assumes a vertical leg-4:3925

position, the bottles slide in the trays formed on the table to rest on a ledge 21| paralleling the run of the conveyor I5. As the bottles reach .their vertical position, a pin 212 on the bar |08 strikes a short arm 213 secured to the frame 261 and causes the frame to tilt and the crossbar 210 to push the bottles on to the conveyor v||5.

As shown diagrammatically in Figure 19; a pressure-responsive device 214 is connected in the vheader 248 to actuate a switch to connect a battery 215 to either wires 216 or 211 to energize the operating solenoids 218 or 219, to open or close, respectively, a valve 280 vin the Water supable time, the Water in the tank Will be too cold. kliorgetfulness.on the part of the operator may scribedhereinb'efore.

14 result in the breaking of bottles by a'cold ystream lonthe bottles vfolltn'ilingthe' hot'caustic treatment, and by a cold'final rinse followinga hot rinse treatment, and the pressure-responsive means 'of'Figure- 14' have been provided to avoid the consequences of such forgetfulness.`

It is also desirable that' the supply of 'steam an'dwater to the tank 244 be suitably proportioned for known operating conditions as to steamk pressure and Water pressure, to 'avoid tank conditions similar-to'those just mentioned, and means have been provided to simultaneously cont'rol steam and Water flow to the tank. These 'means'comprise valves 283 and 284 lin the water and "steam lines, respectively, and connected by gearing l285 for joint operation by a handwheel 286.'

When 'the machine is used for Washing beverage 'bottles such as are used in the soft-drink tradeythe Spiralator unit heretofore indicated generally by the' numeral |12 may be modied as shown` in Figure l5, in which modicationthe caustic tank is closed and is supplied with caustic so that at all times there is` sufficient pressure head to vcause the liquid to surge through' the tubes depending therefrom and into the containers-to activelyv scour the containers. The means for elevating thecontainers under the device, and themeans lfor elevating the caustic tubes, are similar to those described in 4connection with Figures 7 andfll, andsimilar numerals are employed to designate similar parts.

In Figure 15 the modifiedv device is indicated generally by the numeral `281, 'and it comprises a closed tankA 2858 provided with a cover 289, and provided with caustic in1et conduits 290 for connection' to a pump having a capacity exceeding that 'of 'a plurality of discharge tubes 29| Which are' arranged slidable through the bottom 292 of thetank.

The tubes'29l Iare provided at their upper ends with collars or flanges 293 which are seatable on rubber gasketsv 294 secured on the bottom of the tank.` A pluralityV of cleaning needles 295 are suitably secured to a support 296 secured to the tank at the upper end thereof, and these needles are entered in the tubes 29| so that when the tubes 29| are' raised in the tank they will push Yout solid matter in the tubes. l'

The tubes 29| are each providedwith a collar tubes' and insure their falling by gravity for the flanges 293 to engage ythe gaskets 294, and the collar 291 is also adapted to be engaged by the vlifting bar 203, already described.

The tubes 29| kare lifted to clear the tops of the containers in step with movement of the other mechanism of the machine as described in connection with the device |12, and are lowered into the containers at the proper moment, as also de- The bars 2|| and the bosses 2|2` are also reciprocated in synchronism with the desired movement of the tubes 29| and with movement of the containers I0. The lcontainers are advanced' in their baskets as the carrier vmoves forward, step by step, as described in connectionv with the device |12, and their outer surfaces are exposed to thev stream of caustic from the tubes in vtheir elevated position as the carrier advances the container from one tube to y thefother under the battery of tubes.

The device 281 is supported as a unit, in the washing machine by suitable means (not shown) when used instead of the unit |12, and inthe operative position 'occupied by the unit |12` 

